


Voltron à la Mode

by SuitofMercy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Attempt at Humor, Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Not really romantic, Ship Teasing Though, Some Plot, rival bakeries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-06-10 08:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15287721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuitofMercy/pseuds/SuitofMercy
Summary: Allura owns a bakery in competition of Lotor’s superior one. Lance, Hunk, and a reluctant Keith works at said bakery for whatever reason. Pidge, Shiro, and the rest of the gang are somehow involved around this mess. Hilarity ensues.Pretty much a Bakery AU of comedic shenanigans about the Voltron cast in a modern setting resolving around bakeries, food, and everyday nonsense.





	1. Order #1

**Author's Note:**

> Almost all Voltron Bakery/Coffee Shop AUs deals with some sort of one-shot romance which I truly love, but I wished there could be more as them as acquaintances becoming the Space Family, we all know and love. That is not to say, I won't be ship teasing from all over the spectrum. Just imagine that this was the actual show...but with an exaggeration of their characters' personalities...taking place in a bakery. 
> 
> FYI, not all characters work in a bakery, but are associated with one or the other!
> 
> Kudos and/or reviews (glorification or constructive criticisms) are greatly appreciated!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in where Keith gets a job

“Give me a job.”

It took exactly three minutes for Lance to understand what was happening at his workplace _Alluring Delights_. It took him a minute to look up from his counter—as he was originally about to perform his classic “Oh! I didn’t see you there” for the female customers. It took him another minute to recognize the identity of the supposed intruder as his supposed self-proclaimed rival, Keith. And, lastly, it took a minute for Lance to form an articulated response to handle this situation properly.

“WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Of course, Lance was going to create a scene. Since business was slow as rush hour had past, Lance had nothing better to do besides pestering with his mullet-haired adversary.

Keith sighed. He was already regretting coming here. “Asking for a job…” He replied calmly, glancing up and down at the cashier. To him, Lance was dressed as a clown. However, in reality, Lance was wearing his typical Altean-inspired uniform—which was pretty generic, polo and all—but he was equipped with fake pointy ears and strange cerulean oddly-shaped crescents, one located under the corners of each eye.

 _What am I getting myself into?_ Keith asked himself.

“Ohohohoho…!” Lance scoffed, straightening himself to tower over Keith who started to become a little irritated. “No, you’re not, 80s Wonder Boy. Y’see I don’t have time to deal with—OW!” Lance fell to ground at the presence of a white-haired beauty. Allura, as nicely written on her custom-made name tag, had pressed her heel down on Lance’s innocent toes.

“Allura!” He spurted as he vainly tries to pull his foot away from the vicious heel.

“Lance,” she spoke coldly. Her British-accented voice rang in the air, causing a chill down Lance’s spine. “That’s not the appropriate manner to speak to your paladin.” She slowly raised her high-heels away, changing her focus to the alarmed customer.

Keith definitely regretted coming here. _Is minimum wage really worth it?_

“Welcome to Alluring Delights, mighty paladin!” Allura greeted with a grin. The powerful blinding light shining forth from her radiant smile only strengthened her angelic deposition. However, the “mighty paladin” didn’t really care. Keith attempted to block the beams with his hands; however, Allura quickly mistook the gesture as she grabbed his hands, giving off a warm handshake, and continued to smile dazzlingly. “My name is Allura, and I am the ‘Princess of Sweets.’ May I offer you some of our scrumptious, traditional Altean brioches or, if you wait awhile, our master pastry chef will bring out a hot batch of signature Voltron cookies! Or, how we dubbed, Voltrookies!” She chuckled lightly.

“That’s not going to catch o—WHY!” Lance found himself back on the ground in pain. The cursed heel had reappeared.

“U-Um, no thank you,” Keith struggled to find the appropriate response in this strange situation. “I just want to apply for a job.”

“Really?” she responded, a bit shocked. It had been almost a year since she opened this bakery, trapping—she meant hiring—two desperate college students who needed to pay off their loans. Business was slowly rising, but Allura had high hopes for _Alluring Delights_ to succeed if only they had more help. There was Coran, but he mostly helped with finance. But, now! This new comer, this new _paladin_ just arrived inside of her bakery, asking for a job!

 _May Lord Frankworth of Scilltia grant me godspeed!_ She hoped. _This boy will become a building block in my hypothetical tower of success! Alluring Delights will blossom anew, becoming the most distinguished and magnificent bakery in the world. No, I am thinking too small... It will become the most distinguished and magnificent bakery in the entire universe! Defending the taste buds of all from the rotten dishes from that awful lowlife! In the most legendary fashion, of course. This is so divine. So wonderful! So_ —

Keith, who still regretting his presence here, and Lance, who is still in pain, stared at Allura’s wonder-lust face as she went deep down into her fantastical thoughts.

“Is she okay?” Keith asked, gingerly waving his hand in front of her face.

“Yeah, she normally gets like this some—COME ON!” Allura incidentally punched Lance’s face as she snapped out of her thoughts. Lance soothed his sore face, crying silently. “I didn’t do anything wrong this time…”

“Sorry, Lance,” Allura apologized to the throbbing cashier. That apology was short-lasted as she whipped her attention to Keith; her smile widened. “Young paladin…!” Allura clutched his hands tightly. “We shall give you an application at once, so you can fulfill our—”

“I already finished it,” Keith interrupted, casually waved the completed application in his hand. _The less time spent here, the better_.

“Oh! Aren’t you...punctual?” Allura took the papers. “We will definitely look over this promptly! Now, are you sure you don’t want—” Bells echoed through the bakery signaling the departure of their future coworker. “Oh, good bye, paladin…” She solemnly waved.

“We’re making a mistake…” Lance’s face cooled down, yet there was a noticeable bruise on his face.

 “Lahhnnncsss…,” Allura hissed at him. “You need to handle yourself better for the customers. Even if you don’t particularly like them, being rude violates our code of hospitality!” Her voice was stern, but shifted into a softer tone when she noticed Lance’s bruised face. “Let me get ice for that.” She ducked down under the counter where there was a mini refrigerator, full of preparedly-made bagged ice for all the times she would accidentally hit her coworkers.

“I know, but we shouldn’t trust him…,” Lance grumbled as Allura returned with a bag. She gingerly placed it on his bruised face, not noticing Lance wildly blushing upon contact. A door behind them burst open with another employee appearing. Cladded in a similar uniform as them, but with yellow-orange crescents on his face, he was cautiously balancing three platters of cookies that resembled colorful lions.

“We shouldn’t trust who?” he asked, placing them down on display. His nametag was covered in flour, but the name ‘Hunk’ could be deciphered from it. “Am I interrupting something?” He then sneered at the sight of Lance’s flushed face. Allura stood between them, letting Lance take the ice bag, as the fresh batch of cookies captivated her interest.

“N-No!” Lance babbled, yet he was sad that Allura had stopped soothing the pain she caused. “And, I was saying that we shouldn’t trust Keith…”

“Keith? Y’mean your self-proclaimed arch nemesis from high school…?” Hunk gasped dramatically, followed with a few chuckles. He organized the cookies in a rainbow-ordered fashion.

“Your arch nemesis? Really, Lance?” Allura quipped. However, her attention was solely on the cookies. She felt tempted to waste her profits by eating a cookie, but she reminded herself that she must be a strong although that blue-iced lion cookie looked incredibly scrumptious today.

“I heard that someone has an arch-nemesis?” Coran appeared behind them from his office. He quickly grabbed a cookie and took a huge bite before Allura could stop him as usual. “Delicious as always, Hunk.”

“Thanks!” Hunk grinned proudly. “And Lance does, but for childish reasons.”

“Childish!” Lance yelped, but quickly toned down his voice for his sake from Allura’s wrath. “Remember, in middle school, he insulted _my_ cupcakes in front of _my_ face on _my_ birthday!”

“Why?” Allura asked, giving in her temptations for a cookie. _Father would have wanted this_ , she comforted herself, carefully taking a bite and knowingly ignoring Coran’s sly grins.

“Apparently, he had a mild reaction to the oil Lance used,” Hunk explained.

“That’s what he wants you to believe,” Lance stated bitterly. “Remember how he wrapped all the girls around his fingers just after I had my eyes on them.”

“Apparently, Keith was the girl-magnet. Even boys fell for his mullet.”

“He was always so prideful when he beat everyone in gym class!”

“Apparently, his dad was like in the military or something.”

“He won all the scholarships like it was nothing!”

“Apparently, he was a good writer.”

“And—!”

“We heard enough, Lance,” Allura interrupted as she wiped crumbs off her cheek with a handkerchief. “What we’re hearing now are just petty incidents that happened in the _past_. As a paladin of _Alluring Delights_ , you must move on. Just because the two of you shared some childhood conflicts, that doesn’t mean you can’t work together currently and civilly.” Her brilliant smile took a stab at Lance’s heart. She turned to Coran. “Coran, we must go over his application to find if he’s worthy of working at our fine establishment!” There was a hint of glee in her voice. She took a quick glance at Lance one more time. “Lance, fix your ears. You look like an alien.”

And with that, Allura and Coran left.

“She’s right…,” Hunk started. “Not about your ears, but they are kind of crooked.” Lance grumpily attempted to fix them as Hunk handed him a cookie which Lance accepted when finished. “Keith’s actually a pretty chill guy if you get to know him better.”

Lance, munching on the cookie, knew that Hunk could be right, like Hunk always said he was. However, for some reason, Lance still held on to his skepticism about the mullet-haired emo. If only there was a sign—or even signal—to show that his thoughts were not for naught.

 _RING. RING._ A bell coincidentally rang to signal in another customer and to confirm Lance’s reason of cynicism. _I knew it._

 

* * *

 

It has been fifteen minutes since Keith left _Alluring Delights_ and was currently standing outside of _Galra Sweet Empire_ , a space-themed bakery that became an instant hit all over the district. Keith sighed loudly, mentally preparing himself for the nonsense that awaited him once the doors slid open autonomically.

“What took you so long?” A young adult male immediately asked when Keith walked in. He was sitting on a throne smack in the middle of the bakery. His purple skin (which Keith assumed must be makeup) glistened slightly from the white-tinted lights above and his golden eyes glared at Keith as if he was demanding for respect. Keith returned a look of “No.” Lotor, as it was engraved in his golden nametag, dealt with the teenager’s attitude for so long, this action unfazed him. “Were you successful?”

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, heading towards the back of the workplace. “They didn’t expect a thing.” He placed on his uniform—which was admittedly as silly as _Alluring Delights_ —and tried to find the purple makeup or even his yellow-colored contacts. _Did those girls steal them again?_ “I am getting paid overtime during this whole ordeal. Right, Lotor?”

“Absolutely, Keith,” Lotor smiled wickedly. “That princess and her foolish bakery won’t know what’s coming!” And with that, a totally expected manic laughter bellowed within the white-haired, purple-skinned man. Keith sighed for the third time today.

_No, Shiro. I would be a responsible citizen with a normal, tax-paying job._

_No, Shiro, I won’t be a deadbeat like you._

_No, Shiro, signing up to join a bakery with a sketchy atmosphere will not be a mistake._

_Shiro…Why are you always right?_


	2. Order #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in where we see our competitors

“I’m pleased to be the first to greet you to _Galra Sweet Empire_ , home to the utter destruction of taste buds by _our_ own devilishly splendid treats thanks to _your_ monetary benefits!” Sitting on a luxurious high chair, Ezor rested both her elbows down on the counter after she quipped her longwinded spiel at the anxious customer.

 _You should just be lucky that Zethrid isn’t taking cashier duties today_ , she grinned eerily to herself. A sparkle of mischief glistened around her blue irises.

The rounded-shaped Galran customer hesitated when approaching the preppy, multi-colored cashier. The overhanging lamps shone directly below on the customer’s forehead and revealed sweat emerging from his pores. Nevertheless, taking a deep breath inward, he pushed aside all his worrisome thoughts. He reminded himself that he desperately needed a shot of the famous Lotor’s Galran Expresso with a Verpit Roasted-Chicken Sa-Sandwiches and a Lotorious Berry Parfait—for the affordable price of $15, tax included—in order to function in life.

“I would like a—”

“But, first, grovel.”

“H-Huh?”

“On the ground. Both knees. Put your back into—” Ezor was interrupted when a single hand promptly bonked her on the head. She ignored the sharp pain as she turned to smile at the offender.

“Hiii Acxaaa!” She sang as she hopelessly resisted the urge to chuckle at her coworker’s annoyed expression. Boldly standing upright and her shoulders stiff, Axca vainly tried to stare at eye level with the obviously taller Ezor without cocking her head upward to indicate their noticeable height difference. And, the high chair that Ezor was currently sitting didn’t help at all. _She’s adorable…,_ Ezor giggled.

The anxious customer took note of the two females’ opposing traits, both physically and emotionally. Their demeanors greatly contrasted as one female resembled a busted box of confetti waiting for some poor sucker to come over, so mischief could just explode all over and the other female simply didn’t care about convoluted metaphors.

Axca causally clicked her tongue at her colleague before turning her attention at the confused customer. “I apologize for her behavior,” she bluntly stated. “I’ve already prepared your order. Here you go.” Short and to the point was Axca’s specialty.

“Um, t-thanks?” He awkwardly waltzed out of the bakery; the sound of beeping followed as the automatic doors opened for his exit.

“What are you trying to do, Ezor?” Axca inquired bitterly, hands rested on hips and lips pursed. Her coworker sighed, smiling to herself. Ezor knew well that Axca was asking a rhetorical question, and still, Ezor wanted to amuse her.

“Just keeping myself proactive!” she grinned. Axca just mentally sighed at Ezor’s response. However, despite how tedious it was, she always felt to correct her coworkers’ errors. _Because Axca is always right,_ Exor smirked.

“One,” Axca started, “that wasn’t the welcoming of which Lotor approved. And two, you can’t make paying customers to lay on the ground and grovel in public display!” Axca explained coldly and softly as if she was a parent speaking to her child.

“So, you’re saying that non-paying customers could grovel at my feet in the private.” At this point, Axca and Ezor might as well agreed that was where their relationship was heading.

Axca sighed again at Ezor’s quick rebuttal. “What am I going with you?” Ezor attempted to pull her into a hug from which Axca hastily backed away. “No.”

Ezor laughed. _Typical Axca for you_. “Haha, fine.”

Axca shifted her stern deposition to one of worry. “By the way, have you seen Narti? I haven’t seen her since this morning when she went for pick-up?”

The multi-colored employee shook her head. “Nope, but you shouldn’t bother yourself. She usually pops out of nowhere for work.” As she said this, Ezor crept in closer to Axca which made Axca felt awkward. “What we should be discussing, instead, is…” She quickly whipped her head left and right for surveillance. “The _elephant_ in the room.”

“What is an elephant?”

“Axca, you’re too adorable for this world…,” she smiled. “What I meant is—”

_BIIIII...BOOOHHHH...BIIIIII_

“Why did Lotor ever choose this as the bell?” Ezor mumbled, annoyed by the interruption of their fellow employee Keith, exiting from the kitchen through the sliding doors. He held a platter of sandwiches and other Galran pastries comfortably on one hand. With his entrance came the uproar of swooning and cooing from—as it had appeared—a hanging balcony full of squealing girls.

It was Ezor’s “ingenious” idea to spur up entertainment inside the bakery to boost profit. For only twenty-five dollars the hour, guests sat up in a booth—which she amusingly dubbed as the “Fanservice Suite”—as they eagerly waited for the female or male working staff of _Galra Sweet Empire_ to grace the guests by their presences. It had seemed that this time the booth was mainly occupied by a group of heterosexual females who waited all day to throw their love and personal possessions at Keith.

“Take my will, Keith! —No, my inheritance! —My baby!” they screamed. This clamor would have disturbed the other clients inside the bakery; however, due to Ezor’s genius and Lotor’s vanity, those clients were at peace thanks to their purchase of Lotor-Styled Headphones. As they ate their delectable treats, customers blissfully listened to the smoothing, accented voice of Lotor. (Only twenty dollars, the standard. Upgrade for twenty dollars extra for personalized details such as Lotor saying your name nice and... _Lotorish_. Operators are standing by.)

“I’ll never understand why Lotor ever agreed to allow this joke to become reality…,” Axca grumbled, rolling her eyes at the sight of a fainting guest. _I don’t feel like calling in the ambulance again today…_

“Same here…,” Keith mumbled, quickly becoming irritated at the girls’ personal materials hitting his head. Using the body as a shield for his platter, he delivered the meal to expecting guests. Once he finished, he, as habit, tried to scurry back to the kitchen to avoid his coworkers. _I don’t have time for Ezor’s harassments today…_

And, as habit, they always seemed to stop him from succeeding as he bumped into an invisible figure at the doorway. Revealing herself, Ezor smirked mischievously.

“Well, hello there, traitor!” She tightly grabbed ahold of his cheeks.

“One, I am not a traitor. And, two, don’t you have a job to do…!” He vainly attempted to pull away from her grip, but Ezor didn’t budge as she swung Keith around the little area around the doorway.

 _He’s like a tinier version of tiny Axca_ , Ezor smiled. As this was taking place, the girls continued to squeal at the young boy’s presence and began to pay Axca more to increase their time.

“Poor, little bitty Keith, always loss in his own world,” Ezor started. “You’re about to be agent! You have to be prepared for the unexpected to get the goods!”

“What is she getting at?” Keith whispered to Axca who just shrugged in response.

“Only Zethrid knows…” _BIII._ The doors slid open to reveal a focused Zethrid who was busy with pounding dough. Each aggressive slam echo throughout the room. It was as if she was crushing multitude of mini flour-covered enemies with each blow.

“Disguises,” Zethrid remarked, not glancing up at her coworkers. “ _Die!”_ She muttered under her breath.

“No,” Keith started as he realized what Ezor was planning, “no, I refuse to play apart—”

“Aw, lil’ Keith thinks he has a say in this…” Getting closer to his face, she pinched his cheeks harder. “That’s cute!”

Keith finally managed to push away as he stumbled a few feet away from the cheek-pincher. “They didn’t even hire me yet! And, for your information, I was dressed normally when I gave them my application!”

“Trivial details, Keith,” Ezor waved her hands in the air. “I think the reverse harem collection would be rather sweet this time of year…”

“The cool type would be most fitting for him…” Keith heard Axca commented as she took an order from an Olkarion customer.

“Axca!” he screeched.

“I wasn’t serious, Keith...,” she smiled subtly. While Axca did enjoy teasing Keith occasionally, she knew when to stop. Ezor, on the other hand… “Ezor, instead of embarrassing Keith, you should be doing your job!” She turned her attention back to the costumer. “Would you like it served hot or chilled, ma’am?”

Ezor didn’t bat an eye. “The cool type is the best option, but that’s pretty much what he is already. What he needs is a captivating backstory to deceive those idiots!”

“Isn’t life pathetic enough?” Zethrid spoke as Keith tried to exit stealthily through the automatic doors. _BOHH…_ However, Ezor successfully grabbed him by his midsection with her multi-colored appendage.

“That is true with the dad being dead…”

“Mom gone missin’…,” Zethrid interjected from behind the now-closed doors.

“Is an emotionally unstable mess.”

“A delinquent.”

“Easy to manipulate.”

“A coward.”

“Pretty insecure.”

“Has no girlfriend or even boyfriend.”

“His hair is so out of date!”

“Would everyone just quit degrading my life!?” Keith loudly interrupted. _You all sure know how to make a guy feel appreciated_ , he thought bitterly. _And, my hair is totally in style nowadays!_

“We’re just playing around, Keith—Well, sort of,” Ezor wrapped her arm around his shoulder. She casually poked his cheeks as Keith pouted.

 _BOOHHH. BIII._ “OMG!!! WE LOVE YOU!” Instantly, a clamor arose from above followed by the thumping of more fallen girls. The employees didn’t need to turn to realize that their boss Lotor just left his office.

Indifferently catching a GAC with his index and middle fingers, Lotor flashed a smile and flipped his white locks towards the squealing crowd. Even some customers began taking pictures with their phones. Lotor would have to remember to charge them. _All for profit_ , he reminded himself as each of his flirty actions felt as if they were degrading himself—which they totally were. “I do hope that you all aren’t slacking off.” He found his way to his throne. It had rotated to face his subordinate employees.

Smirking, Ezor let go of Keith. “We were just deciding how—” Axca had closed Ezor’s mouth with her hand. She glared at Ezor before forming her question.

“How was the meeting, Prince Lotor?”

“He’s no princ—!” Ezor muttered before Axca muffled her some more. Lotor didn’t bother himself about the two and was focused on Axca’s question.

“It was,” Lotor thought for a second, “productive.”

_“This is just a waste of time…,” Lotor grumbled repeatedly throughout the whole private meeting. It was with his mother, unfortunately. However, fortunately for both of them, it was a virtual meeting. Their meetings were always once phoeb on a certain quintant of their choosing. It was always dull, long, and tedious with a splatter of quarrels in between to make it interesting. Lotor had thanked the ancients that his father was busy with whatever he busied himself doing to avoid his only son. Or recurring disgrace as his father always said._

_“And, you must open your funds to the sponsor I’ll be providing. Your father won’t allow you to procrastinate any longer because of whatever teenage angst you are been dealing with!” His mother continued. “Ah! You were just a sweet boy in quintants of the past. You followed commands without question. You kept that ridiculous hair of yours at a moderate length. That attitude of yours was at least tolerable when you were a kit...”_

_The woman just kept going on and on. Lotor fidgeted his left foot as he constantly checked the table clock to see how many doboshes left he had to bear._ Just keep on breathing, _he calmed himself for his sanity was on the brink of breaking._

_“If only, you cherished something of a better—”_

_“And, whose fault is that!” He heard himself spurting out bitterly._ Quiznak.

_“Your temper never astounds me, son,” she replied sharply. “Back to the business at hand, your...poor excuse of bakery is surprisingly faring well, but if you had—”_

_“For the last time, Mother! I am not and WILL not have any sponsors from Father’s business. I’ve spent too long behind his shadow, eating up his scraps for my gain. I have already committed a small, tiny act of violence because of your intervention! You all need to stop treating me as a child!”_

_“And, yet you continue to act like one, you pertinacious prune.” She turned away as she took a bite of something familiar looking to Lotor._

_“You ungrateful hag! Are you eating a cookie from that wretched bakery!”_

_His mother continued to do such a thing as she ignored her son’s rude comment. “A Voltrookie, I think they called it._ Alluring Delights _might be a new business, but they will soon become a formidable rival, you purple smurf! Their cookies are surprisingly delightful.” She munched loudly on a second one._

_“You horrid witch! I command you stop eating that treat this instant!”_

_“Or what, you’re going to cry?” His mother mocked. “You are just like your father, unable to defeat a person in a measly debate…”_

_“I am nothing like my father!”_

“Very productive,” Lotor repeated in the present moment. “Now, since I was overhearing you all, I was thinking Keith could benefit as one of those cute feminine characters if we are following that reverse harem. His hair is suitable for the job.” He sneered at Keith whose face completely drained of color.

“W-Wait, What!! It is not like I have the job ye—” His cell phone beeped, and Keith quickly checked his messages. “Shoot, I’m starting tomorrow.”

“Alright! I may I have that fairy princess dress he wore for our themed Monster and Mana event!” Ezor jumped in excitement. She grabbed the unwilling Keith and dashed inside the kitchen. “Zethrid, let’s make some arrangements!”

“What? Hey, w-wait! LOTTTOORR!” Keith yelled. _BOOOHHH. BIII._ The automatic door closed in front of him.

“Keith in a dress! —He’ll look so adorable! —Princess Keith! PRINCESS KEITH!!!” The girls chanted from the booths above. They completely had forgotten about Lotor and moved on to the next, soon-to-be-humiliated subject. Axca rolled her eyes at the commotion. She turned her attention to Lotor. She had wondered why Lotor had chosen him specifically to spy on that “horrid little shop”—as Lotor constantly insulted that _Alluring Delights_ bakery. However, she knew better than to question her boss’s actions. No matter how outlandish they were.

But, there was a small thing that Axca had to off her chest in relation to Keith. “Lotor…,” Axca began. She had realized something more to Lotor, especially how he dealt with poor Keith.

“Yes…,” he answered.

“Forgive me for saying this, but you are the worst.” Short and to the point was Axca’s specialty. Rude too, it appeared. Lotor just smirked at her response.

“Axca, that is already a well-established fact. I’m ashamed that it took you this long to realize that.”

 


	3. Order #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in where Keith starts his new job, for better or for worst

Keith knew that the universe hated him.

How? Because, if it was up to him, he wouldn’t have to get up at 5 o’ clock in the morning to get ready to go to some campy bakery that his infuriating, purple boss forced him to go to act like a frickin’ spy. If it was up to him, he would have been sleeping and the episode would have ended here.

The End. Go to author’s note below.

But, nope, the frickin’ universe just frickin’ hated him.

As Keith ate his breakfast, he glanced over his phone, staring blankly at the message from his new sickly saccharine boss, Allura, he got yesterday.

**_Greeting Newest Paladin, Keith [Last Name]._ **

_...Oh yeah, I couldn’t think of a random last name on the application._

**_I truly hope this email finds you extraordinarily well. Hunk, is this how you start an email? Not too formal, but courteo- OH, it seems that I’m typing down what I’m saying. Sorry about that._ **

_Couldn’t she have just deleted that..._

**_You must have been very eager…_ **

_Skip-skip-skip..._

**_After the extensive minute overview of your documents, we at Alluring Delights are absolutely astounded by your impressive experience in culinary dining. We work a bit differently than our competitors_ **

_As one may expect._

**_We serve as an all hands-on deck model. Some days, you may work in the back with Hunk, as our proud Master Pastry Chef, or with Lance, as our...You want me to write what? Master of Moolaaah...How do even spell...Oh look again, I’m typing down my verbal speech. I do need to remember to edit this._ **

_Yet, she never did._

**_We hope to see early tomorrow morning for your first day, if possible. Your uniform will be prepared when you arrive._ **

_Please no._

**_Thank you again! I hope you won’t regret your decision in choosing Alluring Delights._ **

_Already did_ , he scrolled through the email once again. _Did they say anywhere how much I’m getting paid?_ He stabbed his fork into his eggs then shoved the contents in his mouth. He could imagine Lotor guffawing upon his throne, sending little servant into a battlefield of nuisance. Keith sighed, _Why must I be the only sorta normal looking one?_

Beep! Another message.

 **_Oh, I forget the signature. -_ ** **_♡_ ** **_Allura_ **

_The heck_. He cut off his phone then felt a wet hand rustling his hair. He didn’t bother to look up to know his roommate got out of the shower. Shiro plopped down on a chair across from him. His hair was still dripping wet, terribly wrapped with a towel, as his white and black hair strands were noticeable. He looked way exhausted than Keith was feeling. Noticeable bags under eye and how Shiro positioned himself in the chair, leaning his entire upper weight on his arm.

“You look magnificent,” Keith bit. He got up on his feet to grab breakfast he prepared for Shiro from the oven. If Shiro was in charge of cooking, there wouldn’t be house still standing.

“Ha, thanks,” Shiro took a bite of his toast. “Matt forced us to spend the night, hunting down the missing Space Kitty artifact from the Ruggar’s Labyrinth. We failed impressively, but we did level up our stats in the campaign.”

 _Why is he so proud of this?_ “And, you showered...for once.”

“I shower on a regularly basis.” Keith only callously glanced toward his direction. “And, I needed to be wide awake to complete today’s Daily Tasklist…”

Keith looked at his roommate blankly. He remembered having so much for this respect for this man when he entered his home after his foster kid days. All of that respect exploded and withered.

“So,” Shiro placed his eggs between his toasts, “ready for the new job?” He bit into the sandwich.

“Unfortunately.”

Shiro laughed. “I still don’t understand why you’re working this hard. I pay for this house and your education. You barely have any loans left to pay for.”

“Yet, you do nothing for a living.”

“Keith, I work in the highest prestige astrophysics research lab in the county since the…” Shiro’s eyes turned completely cold as thousands of war crime slowly chimed their wars in the lost echoes of his mind.

“Shir—"

“Do you know you that the tiniest bit of space dust entering the atmosphere can damage the lungs? Thus, drinking lactaid every day is preferred,” Shiro perked up.

“Didn’t you quit?”

“You don’t want to miss your bus, Keith,” Shiro only smiled. Keith stared at him and sighed.

“You can frickin’ leave the house, y’know,” Keith muttered, getting up to grab his bag.

“Language, Keith,” Shiro sipped his coffee. “You can drive yourself, y’know.”

“Suspension...”

“Ah, how can I forget the time you recklessly drove into Ms. Sanda’s backyard? Killing all her petunias...”

“It wasn’t my fault her yard got in the way of the driveway.”

“Yes, blame the immovable plains of grass, Keith.”

“You can actually drive me over.”

“Climate change is a real thing…”

“Argh!” Keith exasperated. “Y’know what I’m leaving since some there is serious lack of PARENTAL guidance here!”

“You think of me as a father figure, Keith.” Shiro placed his hand over his heart.

“BYE…!”

“I love you!” Shiro called out from the kitchen. Keith sharply whipped his head at him.

A murderous death glare faced with massive doe eyes.

“Love you too…” He slammed the door.

* * *

  _I can just hitchhike off to the countryside and start a new life for myself. One with normalcy and hot bikers…not with a bunch of wannabe bakers. I have the accent for it, apparently._ Keith had been standing off at a corner adjacent to _Alluring Delights_. Each millimeter closer to the baker came with a buttload thoughts of regret. What has he done to deserve this punishment, he kept asking himself. He just to trust a purple-skinned prince. Because, why the heck not?

 _I’m getting paid a quarter more_ , he grudgingly tried to walk closer. _I’ve just got to get used to the cutesy design._ The bakery was stylized way more pleasant and picturesque than Lotor’s. Hues of pink, blue, and yellow choked the entire bakery to death. _At least, it doesn’t have a stupid statue of their father—Nope…_ Keith stared point blank at a copper statue of an elfish-looking man, which peeked from the back of the bakery.

He couldn’t wait to destroy it like he and Zethrid did with Lotor’s.

 _C’mon. It isn’t like I’m stuck here for long. Once I gather enough information this place, Lotor will leave me alone, dancing on his throne like a little boy he is._ Keith pushed through the doors. _And, no one will expect a—_

WHAM! Keith felt himself gasping for air as he currently welded a sharp blade by the handle. He slowly turned to face his failed murderers. It was that annoying cashier, standing with his taller companion.

“See what did I tell you?” the cashier turned back to his friend, disregarding the fact that Keith could have died. “Whatever the knife positions itself against the wall determines fate. But, no… _he_ …” He jerked his finger at Keith. “...showed up and caught it.”

“Lance! You could have killed him!” The bigger companion ran over to Keith, clutching both his shoulders with his hands. Personal space had no meaning for him. “I am so so so sorry! Are you okay? No signs of dizziness, fatigue from fright. That was an amazing catch by the way. There is nice air mattress in the lodge…you can lie your head down there.”

“No...No…,” Keith backed a bit away. “No, thank you.” _This place is gonna kill me before I can get my paycheck._

“A-Are you sure because I can find a cozy blanket…”

“I’m seriously fine…,” Keith said, not feeling so sure about that statement. “I-I’m fine…”

“If you say so, Keith…”

“Hm, you know my name?”

“Do you have amnesia or something?” The cashier shouted. Keith was getting enough from this guy.

“Lance!” His friend alerted him before turning back to Keith. “Oh um, we were at the same middle school together...Fufi Academy?” Keith blanked. “That’s fine! We can start fresh!” He smiled. “I’m Hunk. I do the baking here… I know you met Lance, our cashier, a couple of days ago…” Lance barely gave Keith any eye contact.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you…both of you two,” Keith held up his hand. He decided to ditch all of Ezor’s facade suggestions and to be a nicer version of himself. Regardless of how he may die here. Hunk firmly grasped his hand with two of his own.

“Same here!” He smiled again. Keith unconsciously smiled in return.

_This is bit of a change…_

BOOM! “ _Coran…Coran, the gorgeous man_ ” crime was heard.

_Why._

“This must be the new paladin aboard at last!” A mustachioed man galloped toward Keith. Yes, galloped because Keith knew of no other word to describe his action. “I was thinkin’ you were going to be a wee-bit taller, eh?”

“Um…,” Keith started.

“Well, he looks surely fitted for the job,” he took ahold of Keith’s hands, frantically shaking them. “Your resume was astounding. Graduating with aces from the extraordinary Blades of Mamorra Cutlery...Splendid!”

“Didn’t that place went out of—”

“Hold up!” Hunk immediately cut off Lance. “You worked alongside with THE Blades of Mamorra! Dude, they’re just like legends in the biz!”

“I-It’s was nothing big…,” Keith muttered.

“Nonsense! By King Florid’s treasured unicycle, that is a marvelous feat to accomplish!” He patted Keith firmly on his shoulder. “Ah, Allura was so looking forward to meet you on your first day. But, alas, we ran out of prestige Kaltenecker’s milk for our main preorder for tomorrow, and she had to run out.”

“Oh…” _One less weirdo to worry about._

“Keith, your uniform is in the back and Lance can help with your makeup!”

“My what?”

“If you need anything, these two mighty paladins will lend a helping hand! Now, altogether now!” He placed his hand in middle, followed with Hunk and Lance. Keith slowly and awkwardly put his hand in too. “On the count of three! One...Two...Alluring Delights!”

“...de—lights…,” Keith muttered. The man galloped back into his office. Keith heard the strange chant again in the air as the man left: “ _Coran, Coran...The Gorgeous Man!”_

 _Is it too late to call in—?_ Hunk interrupted his thoughts with a clap on his back and a heartfelt smile.

“Okay,” Hunk began. “We have thirty minutes until opening. Lance will have to get you ready. And, no, Lance, you can’t get out it.” Lance was already by the exit. “I’ll have to do quick examination before we open!” Hunk pulled in Lance to hug the both of them. “Ha, we’re gonna be the bestest friends!” Hunk quickly ran outside, leaving the two blessed coworkers.

Keith twiddled his thumbs, realizing how awkward this job is going to be with an enemy on the first day. He had two options on his plate.

A) Act all buddy-buddy as if all is well

B) It started ugly, and it be ugly

“So…,” he started. “Are you like my reincarnated boyfriend or something?”

 


	4. Order #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in where Keith and Lance are forced to spend some quality time together.

“Y-Your what?” Lance exclaimed. He flipped his attention onto Keith; his eyes twitching frantically. Lance wasn’t exactly sure if he really wanted him to repeat that cursed statement or he, Lance, wanted to have a stray satellite smack himself dead. The universe did enjoy screwing him over multiple times in the past with pricey speeding tickets, horrible babysitting sessions, and several failed murder attempts, but—

“I was kidding,” Keith interrupted his thoughts. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He ruffled the edges of his hair and shuffled his feet. _This whole day is going to be a mess._ “So, where’s my uniform?”

“Over here…,” Lance pointed towards the kitchen. _Since when he’s the one to joke?_ Lance muttered as they entered the kitchen. “So, um, I guess Hunk is expecting me to give a tour or something. This the kitchen, obviously. You’ll mostly likely be helping Hunk, here. If it gets busy up front, you’ll be assisting me...” He turned to Keith but noticed how strangely observant Keith was being. “What, you’re taking notes?”

“...Hm?” Keith snapped back into focus. “Just wanted to get accustomed with the place...It’s…cute.” _Way too cute, why would Lotor ever think this place could be a threat?_ As they walked towards the back of the kitchen, Keith noted the colorful, bright pillars and counters of the kitchen. Food containers holding a variety of sugar and spices were well-organized in the open cabinets.

“Yeah, that’s the vibe we’re going for,” Lance muttered in a reply. He continued to hold on doubt about Keith. Just out of nowhere, this guy just signed himself up and got the job. Wasn’t Keith rich or something...or too much of a loner to become a taxpayer? It wasn’t like _Alluring Delights_ was a really popular bakery or anything; it was barely holding it ground against the competitors, if Lance had to be honest.

 _Out of all the things she’s capable of,_ Lance started to wonder, _Allura could have built herself a nice, fancy hair salon...That girl with luxurious white hair that glimmers in any lightening. Heh, she would look perfect in any style known in the galaxy...Up-do...Ponytail...Straight...definitely, a mullet..._

SNAP! SNAP! Keith tried to bring Lance back into focus. “Hey! Is this the lodge…!?” Keith felt his hand aching. He sighed, _I’m done with this place, and the shift haven’t even started yet._ He wandered inside to find his uniform. It was similar to Hunk’s and Lance’s, but red. There was a note:

**_Red to match that fiery passion of yours! - Allura_ **

_What passion?_ Keith crumbled and tossed the note aside. He quickly replaced his shirt and put on his apron. He took a quick look at the fake ears decor. _Why do bakeries like making fool out of their workers?_ At least, at Lotor’s, Keith had no respect for the purple alien when he got the job. _...I’m putting way too much effort into this nice guy act._

“Oh, so, you already changed.” Keith became alert as Lance entered the lodge.

 _Oh, so, you finally snapped out of your daydream_ , Keith wanted to say, but instead… “Yeah, I did. Um, so, are these ears…” Keith twiddled them in the air. “...uh, mandatory?” _Who knew being less ill-tempered would be a problem?_

“Unfortunately…,” Lance began, overlooking Keith’s outfit. “All part of the act. I used to hate them, but I say I look pretty good in them.” He smirked as Keith rolled his eyes. “So, let me just apply the makeup, now.” He quickly tries to gather the aesthetics from the table.

“Oh, I can do it,” Keith started, heading for the makeup kit. “I have some experience.” _NOPE. Definitely not allowing this._

Lance shook his head. “Uh no. If I don’t do it and Hunk hears about it, he won’t give me a rest.” Lance swiped a mini brush, concealer, and a red face-paint bottle as he moved closer to Keith. Keith began to back up, farther away.

“T-Then, don’t tell him, obviousl—,” At this point, Keith made the fatal mistake of not noticing the inflatable mattress on the ground. Lance subconsciously swept Keith upward, holding him from the back. They were way too close together for comfort, and Keith understood very well what was happening. This was...every sick romcom trope in the school of how to torture a maybe, definitely, but probably most likely gay disaster. He hated the fleeting seconds of this, but he knew genre well enough (surprising thanks to Shiro) to know that there was always an escape to these—

“Hey, Lance, Keith! Can you…” Hunk opened the door to the lodge, seeing those two in the classic, “This isn’t what it looks like” stance. A smile slowly crept on his face.  “Am I interrupting something?”

 _That’s my cue,_ Keith immediately pushed Lance aside, flopping on the mattress below.

“H-Hey, I was about to outline the crescents!” Lance shouted. He whipped his attention to Hunk, pointing the brush in his direction. “And, stop whatever you’re conspiring.”

Hunk frantically waved his hands in defense. “Eh, what? I-I was just coming in to ask if you two can grab a couple of boxes from the freezer.” He began to wave a list to Lance. “But, I see you two are buddy-bud—”

“It was nothing!” Lance and Keith exclaimed simultaneously, avoiding eye contact. Keith flipped over, burying his head in the mattress. _Whatever god of this world, if I say sorry for all my brashness towards you and mentally towards others, would you kill me now?_

Hunk only subtly smirked at the scene. _I’m enjoying way too much._ “S-So, can you two…” Lance snatched the paper from his hands.

“Yea-Yea-Yeah!” Lance grumbled, flapping his hands at Hunk. “We do it. Now, go! Don’t you have a bakery to open…”

“Yeah...yeah...yeah,” Hunk repeated, grinning so widely as he exited. Keith and Lance could have sworn that he is singing some song: “ _Best friends, best friends, they gonna ascend! Best friends, best friends, friend to the end_!” They both sighed.

* * *

 “Yeesh, it’s cold in here,” Lance shivered as he unlocked the door to the walk-in freezer. He allowed Keith to hold the door as he walked farther inside. He rubbed his knuckles for warmth.

“Who knew a freezer was capable of such things?” Keith muttered, ignoring Lance’s glares.

Lance grumbled to himself before walking towards some boxes off the metal shelves. Keith’s eyes wandered around. _Just a bunch of frost-covered boxes laying around._ He could hear Lotor whispering in his ears: “Perhaps, they’re secret ingredients? We could use this to our advantage to gather more intel? Wouldn’t you agree, Keith?” _How did I ever agreed to work for such a weirdo?_

“Oh yeah, before I forget,” Lance was examining a box before lifting it up, “don’t let go of the—”

SLAM! Colors drained from his face when Lance whipped his head at Keith. He dropped the box. “NONONONONONO!”

“It was too heavy…,” Keith shrugged in response, becoming a bit amused at Lance’s baffled expression. Lance wobbled around the room; his hands were twitching wildly.

“T-Too heavy he s-says!” Lance grumbled, continuing his lifeless twirling and whirling. He snapped out of it, glaring at Keith. “Too heavy!”

“What is your problem?”

“My problem? My problem?” Lance flung his arm, pointing his index finger at the door behind Keith. “My problem is that you let go of the door!”

“Yes, because, and I will repeat, it was heavy!” Keith shouted. _What was his deal?_ “You were taking a long time, and I was getting tired…”

“Getting tired!” Lance repeated loudly. “Oh no-no-no, this can’t be happening!” He paced back and forth in the small freezer more unsteadily.

“Should I call 911 to calm you down?” He was really reaching his pocket to call for his own safety.

“Yes! Because…,” Lance stomped his feet. “YOU!” He whipped his whole body towards Keith. “LOCKED!” His finger jostled at the door. “US!” He then jabbed his thumbs above his chest. “IN!” Lance screamed to the heavens. Keith only stared at Lance before bursting into laughter. “Are you really laughing about our imminent deaths?!”

“No, I’m laughing about how stupid you are,” Keith coughed back a chuckle. “Here, I thought you were suffering from some sort of panic attack. You do know that doors are meant for entering and _exiting_?”

“Oh, yeah,” Lance replied, biting on his own sarcasm, “how can I forget? Just go ahead, then let us out!”

Keith shrugged. “Yeah, I will.” He reached for the door to pull the handle, but… “The heck!” He turned back to Lance who held a prideful smirk. “Where the heck is the handle?” He pushed on the door, then slammed his body against it. But, no budge. “What the—”

“There is none, you noob!” Lance bit.

“Did you break it?!” Keith shouted back in frustration.

“Why are you accusing me?! It was already like that to begin with!”

“To begin with? Who’s the idiot designed this thing?”

“How the quiznack would I know? That’s why I wanted to warn you to NOT LET IT GO!”

“You never said a thing!”

“I was about—”

“Save it, Taylor…”

“That’s not my…”

“Save it!” Keith repeated, losing his composure. He took a deep breath, then rubbed his temples. “Okay...Just how are we getting out of here…? H-Hold up, I-I can call…” He reached for his phone. “What! No signal! Is this place a death trap?”

“I-I don’t know,” Lance finally gave up and slouched on the floor. He rested his back against some boxes. “We just have to wait for Hunk to notice our absence…”

“But, how long will that take?” Keith took the same position as Lance. He rubbed his hands for some warmth. _Really, god of this universe, this is how I’ll die… I was hoping for at least a peaceful and, I don’t know, ALONE death._

“Argh!” Lance exasperated and punched a box. However, he later took a deep breath to calm down. “Well, I-I guess we at least spend some quality time together as we wait.” They looked at each for a second to gather in that quality moment.

.

.

.

That was long enough.

“HUNK!”

“BIG GUY!”

“You’re already forgot his name!”

“It has been a long day!”

* * *

 “So, with that, I am stuck with an intolerable classmate who doesn’t understand the difference between all the computer programs we had learned in class for the entire semester. I don’t even know how they even skipped Fundamentals with their lack of brain power. Rich kids these days, I swear…”

“That’s tough, Pidge. But, back to my original question, is that all you’re going to be buying?” Hunk had opened the bakery for the first wave of customers. It was a quiet morning as usual with the regular Pidge coming in for her morning solitude work session. She was smaller than average girl, wearing a cool forest green overall with a white with black polka-dots shirt. She came in ordering her regular, Alfor’s Tradition. It was black coffee with a shot of espresso. However, Pidge always added an extra usually...Sometimes, four shots in total when college wants to stab her and she holds it up at gunpoint.

 _What a colorful imagery_ , Hunk thought when Pidge first envisioned it for him.

“Like I always said, free refills are what makes a place like this great, Hunk,” Pidge smiled, handing him the exact two dollars and thirty-three cents all in coins.

“I’m going to believe in your best judgement.” Hunk slid the coins into the palm in his hand before sorting them out in the cash register.

“Why would I cheap you out?” Pidge grinned as she headed for a seat next to the counter by the display of sweet goods. _Matt, would definitely want a Voltrookie by the time he picks me up._

“You do that with Lance,” Hunk replied. He turned to the Altean Coffee Maker. Of course, it was no difference from a human one; however, here at _Alluring Delights_ , their coffee is purely organic and purely...caffeinated...or whatever that jingle says.

“He’s Lance.”

“Touché.” Pidge pulled out her laptop from her backpack as she began to make herself comfortable. Hunk soon came with her order in a decorated chinaware. “Here’s you go, an Alfor’s Tradition with an extra shot of espresso.”

Pidge cradled the chinaware in the palm of her hands, blew subtly before taking a sip. “Mm, just what needed to finish this coding. Thanks, Hunk!”

“No problem for my favorite customer!” Hunk grinned gleefully.

“Pretty much your only customer at the moment,” Pidge smirked before taking another sip. She jerked his attention to the pretty empty space. The place was opened for only an hour for the morning shift, but, since _Alluring Delights_ wasn’t as popular as _Galra Sweet Empire_ , it was expected.

“Yeah, I was really hoping those flyers would help,” Hunk sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

“You guys are really living in the medieval times,” Pidge was busy typing away on her computer. “Social media is thing, you know.”

“Lance and I tried, but Allura and Coran are hopeless when understanding,” he rolled on the counter. “Yesterday, we even had to help her write an email to our new coworker...Failing in process.”

“Mm,” Pidge sipped, staring only at the brightness of her computer. “Oh, yeah, so how’s the new guy, anyway?” Hunk heard some more clicking and tapping on her keyboard.

“Oh, Keith, you mean. I think he’s doing already...Lance almost killed him…,” Pidge looked up from her laptop, raising an eyebrow. “But! He was alright, he has some mad jujutsu or somethin’ and caught the knife in his hand.” Pidge only nodded and went back to typing. “But, I don’t know. He seems pretty out of it, though. We were in middle school, together, but it seemed that he doesn’t remember a thing.”

“Mm,” Pidge murmured, trying to fix her code. “Do you think he is suffering from long-termed psychological issue from his youth that is affecting how he is interacting with people and is only here to serve a devious purpose underneath hence why he is attempting to appear normal when interacting with the two of you despite having no recollection whatsoever?”

“No…,” Hunk drawled out. “I think he’s just adjusting to the new atmosphere…” Pidge shrugged in response. “But, speaking of him, I sent him and Lance out moments ago to get stuff out of the freezer…”

“Perhaps, they’re stuck.” She continued to type loudly on her keyboard.

“What? No, Lance knows better than to shut the door behind him. That’s why Keith is with him.”

“...” Click. Type. Type.

“...” Type. Click. Type.

“...” Type. Type. Click.

“Oh, quiznack.”

* * *

 “I-I-I-It was been an h-h-h-hour…!”

“It has been only ten minutes.” During his time stuck in the freezer with his insufferable companion, Keith thought multiple ways to creating an escape route. Tampering the door? _Tightly sealed._ Escaping through the vents? _Way to shallow even for me._ Planting a bomb? _Someone might die in the process…_ Keith was reconsidering the last option, seeing its benefits, however.

“W-We are going to die here…,” Lance gasped, cradling his body for warmth.

“Yep,” Keith barely looked at him. _I wonder if I can find a gas cylinder here…, but the costs of it...._ He turned to examine some pipes aligned on the walls. _Doesn’t need to be too flashy or anything._

“T-Typically, the other person is supposed to proclaim some wishful thinking during these circumstances…” Lance shivered. He even struggled to blink; his eyelashes decorated with frost.

“Oh, I was always taught death was the answer to everything.”  

_When Keith was in foster care (after his father was brutally murdered by penguins or whatever cause of death Keith came up with on a daily basis), he would attend a homework help program sponsored there. It was here where he met his future roommate—brother, father figure, or whatever he is to Keith—Shiro who temporarily volunteers here during his free time._

_“Um, h-hey, Shiro, I need some help with this math problem?” Keith asked the elder. Little did Keith knew that Shiro had experienced his first of soon to be many tragedies in his life from a young age. The experience had shaken Shiro’s life to the core, making him masked that dark, humorless status of his life._

_He stubbed his toe in the parking lot._

_Shiro, at this moment in life, didn’t have a filter yet for the seven-year-old Keith. He stared deeply at Keith’s eyes, giving his almighty wisdom. “Dying is always the answer.”_

_Keith stare at him, then at his worksheet. “Can you help me show my work?”_

Seconds were fleeting into more minutes as the two coworkers were surrounded in the endless blizzard. Lance was accepting death as his final answer, so he prayed for hopeful futures of his family, minus Veronica who used up all the toothpaste this morning. Keith busied himself, thinking of how to create an explosive with frozen dough. To be honest, he had no clue what he was doing.

“Hey, can I ask you question?” Keith asked. He put his explosive ideas on hold.

“A-A-Answer away! I-I-It’s not like with each breath we waste, the closer I see heaven opening up,” Lance coughed.

Keith only rolled his eyes. “Is there a reason you hate me?”

“Well, you are the cause of my soon-to-be death, so…”

“Besides, everything that I did today.”

Lance stared at Keith, trying to glare enough into the deepest dungeons of his soul. “You really have no clue who me and Hunk are, do you? No memories of us during middle school, high school...We even go to the same university, you know.”

Keith only shook his head. “Not really...Then, again, most parts of my life have been a blur. Give and take a few circumstances…”

 _Hm, he looks like he’s telling the truth...or he strongly believes in that truth...but…,_ Lance thought. “Then, what do you remember?”

“I remember Shiro, my roommate,” Keith thought aloud. “Oh, and, I remember hating a bunch of people. I could give you a list of that. You were initially on it since this morning…Y’know, for almost killing me.”

Lance struggled a laugh. It had seemed as the temperature continued to drop by the second. _Where is Hunk when you need him?_ “Uh, I guess, it’s kind of petty then to be holding grudges against you…” He mumbled. “Let’s start over, huh.” He awkwardly tries to lift up his arm, combating against the frozen state it is in.

Keith scoffed to himself, withholding a subtle smirk. He grabbed Lance’s hand for firm handshak—

“Why the quiznack are you so warm?!” Lance shouted. Catching Keith off guard, Lance instantly pulled him into a tight embrace. “Your whole body is like a heater! Is that why you were never shivering? Are you even warm-blooded?” Keith attempted to kick Lance away, but somehow Lance was stronger than he appeared.

“Get off of—!” There was some clicking coming from the door.

“Ah-Ha! So, this is where the two of you were dilly-dallying the whole time, eh!” Coran stood proudly, twirling his moustache. There were flashes coming from behind him, with Pidge peeking to take pictures with her smartphones.

“Forthcoming blackmail,” she jeered. Hunk shoved past them to hug his frozen coworkers.

“I am so sorry! I would have come sooner, if I have known, and then Coran showed up with a new take-out order, and then I…,” Hunk continued to blabber. His eyes were glistening from tears. “Are you two okay? I will prepare the heater in the lodge!” He literally grabbed ahold of them, shoving them in the lodge then onto couch. “I grab some blankets!” He rushed out.

Lance rubbed the back of his head and straightened his back from Hunk’s tight bearhug. “That’s our Hunk.” Keith, on the other hand, felt very awkward from all this physical contact.

“So, how long were you two in there?” Coran followed behind.

“Better question,” Pidge jumped in. “Since, when you’re into boys, Lance…” Lance gawked at her as she sneered. Keith only laughed at himself, even wondering what would Lotor and the girls would want him to do in this situation. “Is that a smirk coming from the new emo kid?”

Keith jumped. “What? No, I was—”

Bells ringed from outside to signal a possible customer. However, it followed by a clamor of stomping before Allura herself burst inside the lodge. She was sweating frantically; her eyes darting around the room until she saw Coran.

“C-Coran!” Losing her step, she clutched ahold of Coran. Coran held on to her uneasily.

“Princess, what in the name of King Groggery is going?”

“I-I-I,” With each breath, Allura struggled to form her words. Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Coran watched her, staring in anticipation for what she has to say. “I—”

“So, bad news, the heater needs some repairs,” Hunk burst in the lodge, holding on to some blankets. “But, I found some cozy blankets and fluffy socks…” He looked around, noticing the change of atmosphere. “Shoot…, I’m ruining the mood, aren’t I?” Everyone glared at him as he slowly wobbled off into a corner.

Allura again took a deep breath. “As I was trying to say,” she breathed in once more. “I’ve just witnessed a murder.


End file.
